Project summary

The project aims to increase the availability of short-term parking opportunities within the North Lakes commercial centre, which were lost through the redistribution of all-day parkers away from Westfield following the introduction of paid parking at the Westfield Shopping Centre.'

Smart parking technologies will be trialled to understand the impact of providing real-time parking information to drivers and Council officers.

The Smart Parking system will provide parking availability information to users via on street digital signage and a Smart Phone app. Additionally, data will be made available to parking applications and parking planning analysis.

The challenge

Council seeks to use Digital technologies to increase parking space turn-over rates to benefit local businesses whilst deferring the need for more staff to enforce parking limits, or the requirement to build more carparks to meet the parking needs of North Lakes CBD.

Solution

By using sensors that create parking availability data, drivers can see where available car spaces are either via signage on the road, or a Smartphone app.

Additionally, Council will enrich the data using Machine Learning in order to predict the times mostly likely for a driver to find a parking space.

Benefits

With higher parking space turn-over rates, commercial activity is expected to increase that will benefit local businesses.

Additionally, by using the parking asset more efficiently, Council can defer the need to fund more parking spaces thereby reducing capital expenditure and indirectly deferring rates increases.